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January, 1927 benefits also come from the con- : tinued success and growth of coastwise shipping. Thousands of men are trained and given profitable employment in an oc- cupation that will continue to appeal to the deep rooted in- stinct for the sea which will never cease. Shipbuilding is an essential industry. The ces- sation of building for the navy makes the shipyards dependent on new tonnage for the mer- chant marine. New vessels for domestic commerce help to keep established shipyards going. Repairs and reconditioning of a constantly growing fleet of mer- chant vessels, in the aggregate, represents a considerable vol- ume of much needed work for the shipyards. To furnish transportation for the commodities of the merchant and miner, between Boston and Baltimore, was the purpose of the founders of the Merchants and Miners Transportation Co. and that is how it got its unusual and distinctive name. The steady growth of this old coastwise steamship line since its beginning 75 years ago is indicative of at least two definite facts; first that there existed from the start an incipient demand for the service, which has grown, as the country has grown, to great proportions, in- sistant in its needs; and second that the service afforded has been such as to attract a constantly A. D. Stebbins President and General Manager Merchants and Miners Transportation Co. MARINE REVIEW 13 increasing volume of this trade. As population increases and the products of agriculture and in- dustry multiply efficient trans- portation is essential in the dis- tribution of these products if trade and commerce are to be developed. No business enter- prise can long continue unless it is able to offer a needed service at a cost which makes that service profitable to both the customer and itself. There is probably an economic balance which must be considered in the iS establishment of transportation agencies to serve the pros- pective demands of commerce. In other words trade for its ‘development is absolutely de- pendent upon adequate means of transportation. On the other hand no private company can af- ford to pioneer in the establishment of steamship lines very far in advance of the actual needs of business. No real advance however has ever been made. without vision and courage; the ability to see possibilities before they actually materialize and the courage to act accordingly. For progress therefore it is necessary for the successful line not only to keep pace with the demands of com- © merce but to act as a stimulus to expansion by being ready to offer, beyond these established de- mands, quick dependable transportation at rea- 4 . DorcHESTER, latest addition to the Line—Built with two sister vessels at Newport News, 1926